Many of us listen to music when working. Some say it helps concentration by blocking out background noise. Others claim it's a distraction and inhibits performance. So is music good or bad?

Well, it's not clear. This article based on a study by the University of Wales Institute published in Applied Cognitive Psychology suggests recall of information is diminished by listening to music. While another recent post on GigaOM, based on a study by the University of Windsor in Canada, suggests improved performance, lower perceived stress, more curiosity and better mood when listening to music. This CNN article from 2009 even suggests that music can help those with ADD to focus.

You may have heard of the Mozart Effect, which suggests that listening to Mozart makes you smarter. This is something of an urban myth since the effect is temporary (15 minutes) and it only works for certain visual reasoning tasks. It's based on research from 1993 published in Nature magazine, and spawned a raft of educational material focused on making kids smarter (Little Einsteins anyone?). More recent research has countered even this theory, stating it has no impact on cognitive ability.

Clearly for us lay folk, the matter is nuanced. It seems the impact of music varies depending on the task being assessed - information recall, reasoning or other cognitive tasks like learning. It may also depend on personality type (extrovert/introvert), whether you are used to listening to music or not, and of course the type of music.

Listening to upbeat and fast music will probably make you more agitated, while relaxed music will de-stress you. There may be times when each is appropriate at work. According to research by the University of Toledo, a big factor in terms of concentration is that the music should be instrumental. Songs with lyrics demand your attention at some level, even if you know the words. Given our brains are unable to multi-task this will slow your performance since your brain is processing the lyrics and not the work in hand. It's not dissimilar to talking to someone on your cell phone while driving.

Given scientists seem to disagree, my advice would be to listen to music only when you need to minimize distractions in your environment (in an open plan office, at a cafe) for a high-focus activity. However, make sure it's instrumental or classical music at a low volume so you can hear the phone or realize when someone is calling your name. When at the office make sure the earphones are not a default since you miss a lot of office culture if you are constantly plugged-in. Free streaming music sites like Pandora and the prevalence of iTunes, have lead to an increase in music at work. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for performance, but until the science is proven, use it as a tool for specific activities and situations, not universally.

We're often advised to know our limits. We shouldn't over-reach or over-step the mark, but instead operate comfortably within our capabilities. Then we know we'll deliver and we won't embarrass ourselves with failure.

The problem is this leads to entropy. Unless we push ourselves, how do we even know what our limits are? In weight-training, athletes are taught to lift heavier and heavier amounts in small increments. The muscles go beyond their breaking point, tear and are stronger when they reform. The same is true in other aspects of our lives. A pattern of over-stepping our limits by a small amount will lead to an increase in performance.

This means the next project should be just a bit more complex than the last. The next speaking engagement to a slightly larger audience. The next sales target, a bit steeper. The new budget, a bit bigger than the last. The team should have a few extra members.

This stretches our capacity to deliver. But in order to achieve the improvement, we need a period of recovery. Time to rebuild the muscle. And the project mustn't be significantly harder than the last, otherwise like the weight-lifter attempting an extra 20kg, you won't get the right result.

As managers, it's our duty to stretch our team members, then to allow them time to recover. Constant pressure actually weakens capabilities. Equally, tasks which are inside the comfort zone don't provide the means for challenge and growth. It's a fine balancing act. People don't tend to like being stretched, but at the same time can become too comfortable and start to underperform.

You probably like to think you are. Just like we’re all
above-average drivers. But generosity comes in many forms. There are three main
types that I can see:

Financial – this
is what most of us associate with generosity. Do we give a decent amount to
charity? Buy good presents for friends and family? Stand a few rounds at the
bar?

But this is the easiest form of generosity. Just dig your hand into your pocket
and you’re done. Sure there’s an opportunity cost of the money, but unless you’re
on the breadline or a billionaire philanthropist, you probably won’t feel
much difference. And there’s utility in giving – it feels good.

Temporal – fewer
of us are generous with our time. It’s a fleeting resource and we never seem to
have enough. If someone comes to your desk, do you give them your full
attention? If your son wants to play a game, do you keep playing until he
decides to stop, not you?

In our multitasking world, giving someone your time and your
attention is one of the most generous behaviors you can bestow. It takes
practice to listen to them fully and not to make them feel rushed. To move
on their timeline, rather than your own.

For sure, we can’t always be generous with our time. We all
have obligations. But making time for others, by planning
unscheduled periods into our day enables us to be more generous when
the opportunity arises.

Emotional – this
is the hardest form of generosity. We all find it hard to love people
sometimes, but since love is hopefully reciprocal there is a strong reward.

Harder is to give emotional empathy to colleagues and
friends. To understand what’s going on in their lives, to take on their burdens
and share them. Often this generosity goes unnoticed or without immediate
thanks. Just when you feel you have given your all, you’ll get asked for more
understanding, forgiveness or empathy. I’m sure caregivers feel this acutely,
but it’s also common for parents and managers.

But I think this is also the form which can have the most
impact on the lives of others. The Christian faith says ‘Love thy neighbor’, a
sentiment shared in other religions. Not give her money or time. Emotional
generosity – transmitting warmth, empathy and understanding is powerful.
It changes lives. It also has a real cost to us – it’s hard sometimes!

We all like to think we are generous. But next time you sit
behind the wheel of your car, consider whether you really are above-average.

I deleted Foursquare. I know it’s not cool to admit that, but it just didn’t add value for me. Most
people don’t lead especially fascinating lives - they go to work, go
home, eat in the odd nice restaurant, and travel occasionally. Check-ins
are either routine or for show. Gym rats check in at the gym to show
how sporty they are. Jetsetters check in at various airports to show how
much they travel. Foodies eat. Either that makes you feel envious or
bored.There
is a voyeurisitic pleasure in tracking your friends’ progress around
the globe. But that’s not an attractive quality. It’s good to know what
they are up to but it’s awkward to raise it in conversation. ‘Oh so how
was Restaurant Splendido, last Saturday?’ elicits an uncomfortable
squirm. If 4SQ offered a chance to suggest they try the delicious pork
chop while they were actually at the restaurant, it might be different.Privacy
concerns aside, the chance to meet up with friends who happen to be at
the same location as you is theoretically interesting but in practice
marginal. The discovery aspect of finding new locations
can be done through richer channels.The
tips are good but unfiltered and without context. You don’t know who
the author is, whether their opinion is considered or just a passing
remark, or even from a competitive offering. You rarely get the
information you want - like where the plug sockets are in the airport.
There are other ways to get that info too.I
understand the potential marketing value of creating a Badge or
offering discounts for Mayors etc. It’s not that geolocation is a bad
idea - far from it. But from a user perspective you need to check in so
often and the rewards are so low, it wasn’t compelling. My experience is
that Foursquare is still a feature, not a network. For instance, the points
system didn’t engage me, and the iPhone app seemed unstable.These may have been addressed in the three months since I last checked in. But with Facebook’s geolocation rumored to be announced tomorrow, I wonder whether we’ll see the bloom come off Foursquare’s rose.

Unless you are a robot, you might not have full control over your emotions at all times. However with some practice and by building emotional awareness, we can learn to select the right emotion for each situation.

One way to do this is to pay attention to your emotional state. Notice when you are happy, frustrated, or angry and look at the circumstances which trigger that emotion. A trigger is a person, place or situation which sets your feelings racing. This might be as varied as the smell of a particular perfume, the queue at the car park or walking into the boss’ office. Chances are if those triggers recur, you’ll have a similar rush of emotions.

Once you have your triggers, you can be on the look-out for them and prepare. Perhaps you can seek them out if the emotions are positive – like playing your favorite song. Or avoid them if the emotions are negative – by delegating a particular task. Simply by being conscious of our emotional state as we are triggered, we’re more likely to be able to react appropriately. Repetition of this will ‘reprogram’ the trigger so you aren’t as affected.

Not only do we have the greatest control over our emotions, but we are also responsible for them. For instance, if we’re unhappy about something, that’s no-one’s responsibility but our own. We are the ones to feel that way, we experience the effects, and the main benefit of changing that emotion accrues to us. It’s no-one else’s job to make us happy.

Governing your own emotional state can have a hugely positive impact on your productivity, your team and your family. It may sound weird since so many people are at the mercy of their emotions, but the self-control will help you steer a straighter course. When it comes to separating stimulus from response, we're not aiming to become emotionless automatons like our friend here, but we're not victims of our circumstances either.

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I work at global communications agency, LEWIS. I advise organizations about their public relations campaigns, and staff about personal performance. I discuss the latest thinking in both here. Thanks for coming.

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The views expressed on this weblog are my own and not the opinions of LEWIS, or of any of the clients LEWIS represents. If quoting me in the press or other material, please be clear to state that this comes from my personal weblog.